A manager component in one example controls one or more software and/or hardware entities. For example, the manager component is responsible for starting, stopping, initializing, and monitoring the entity, detecting failures of the entity, recovering the entity, and propagating state changes about the entity. In one example, the entity operates in a high availability domain. So, the manager component comprises high availability services software. In another example, the entity operates outside of the high availability domain. So, the entity does not interact with the high availability services software.
The software and/or hardware entity in one example comprises one or more software and/or hardware components (e.g., software and/or hardware sub-entities). The manager component has control of all management operations on the software and/or hardware entity and the software and/or hardware components. For example, the manager component maintains autonomous control of the software and/or hardware entity.
Some circumstances exist where autonomous control is either undesirable or impossible. In one example, upon introduction of new high availability services software into a legacy system, the new high availability services software must interoperate with the old high availability services software already in the legacy system. As one shortcoming, the autonomous control required by the new high availability services software may prevent the old high availability services software from controlling any portion of the software and/or hardware entity. In another example, the software and/or hardware entity may need a certain level of application-specific control over the management of some critical portion of the software and/or hardware entity. As another shortcoming, the autonomous control by the high availability services software may not provide the software and/or hardware entity with the desired level of application-specific control.
Thus, a need exists for a manager component that provides a software and/or hardware entity with a desired level of application-specific control.